No Prison in Santa Clarita Valley, Vows Deukmejian

Gov. George Deukmejian told about 200 cheering Santa Clarita Valley residents Wednesday that, as long he’s in office, no state prison will be built in their community.

The Republican governor, speaking at a luncheon in Valencia, reiterated his support for the so-called Crown Coach site near East Los Angeles as the best location for a prison in Los Angeles County.

“There’s one fellow who wants to put that prison in the Santa Clarita Valley,” Deukmejian said, referring to his Democratic opponent, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley. “I can assure you that I’m not going to put it here.”

Last October, Bradley proposed a 520-acre, city-owned tract in Saugus as the site for the 1,700-bed, medium-security prison, prompting protests from nearby residents and formation of Citizens for Fair Prison Sites, a group that has opposed locating a state prison anywhere in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Earlier this year, Assemblywoman Gloria Molina (D-Los Angeles) introduced a bill that would have put the prison on county-owned land at the Peter J. Pitchess Honor Rancho, a county jail in Castaic. Selection of the prison site now is hung up in the state Legislature and, Deukmejian said, lawmakers are no closer to an agreement than when they adjourned earlier this month.

Site Selection Mandated

By law, the Legislature must select a site in Los Angeles County before facilities in San Diego and Stockton, which were scheduled to open by the end of this year, can begin operation. About 38% of the state prison population comes from Los Angeles County.

With state prison population 70% over capacity, the governor said, he fears judges “are going to order us to release some of these prisoners prior to the ends of their terms” if a Los Angeles County site is not chosen soon, thus enabling the San Diego and Stockton prisons to open.

Deukmejian said the Los Angeles site was selected by the state Department of Corrections after a survey of about 100 other Los Angeles County locations. The bill designating the Crown Coach site has been approved three times by the state Assembly and once, 36 to 0, by the state Senate.

Charges Double-Cross

When that bill came back to the Senate after some amendments were added, the governor said, Sen. David Roberti (D-Los Angeles) and “a few other senators double-crossed us and refused to give us the needed votes to enact the legislation.”

“I called a special session of the Legislature,” Deukmejian said. “But they’ve done nothing. . . . Unfortunately, a site still has not been named.”

Deukmejian’s appearance, his first in the heavily Republican Santa Clarita Valley, was arranged by Assemblywoman Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley). About 200 more residents who wanted to attend the luncheon were turned away because there was no room, Wright said.